Truck-gate-securing means



w. e. MAYER.

TRUCK GATE SECURING MEANS.

APPLICATION men MAY 10. 1920.

1 ,364,779, Patentad Jan. 4, 1921 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TRUCK-GATE-SECURING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Application filed May 10, 1920. Serial No. 380,414.

I '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. MAY R, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements inTruck-Gate-Securing Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to securing means, and more particularly to meansfor securing the gates of automobile trucks.

' One of the main objects of the invention is to provide securing meansof the character stated of simple construction and operation which maybereadily applied. A further object is to provide means whereby the gateof a truck may be readily secured when the same is thrown into closedposition, means being also provided whereby the gate may be readilymanipulated and opened. Further objects will appear from the detaileddescription.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a securing means constructedin accordance with my invention, applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary central vertical section through the gate andthe securing means associated therewith.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view through one of the arms of the handleshowing one of the cam fingers.

Fig. 1 is a detail of one of the latch members.

The gate 1 which may be of any suitable or preferred construction ishingedly secured by a rod 2, at its lower edge, to body B of the truck.This gate, when raised, fits between two posts 1 of the truck body, andeach of these posts carries a substantially L-shaped latch member 5theouter end 5 of which is inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the post.This latch member is provided with a rectangular slot 6 which is adaptedto receive the end portion 7 of a locking bar 7 which is preferablyformed of spring steel of suitable gage. End portions 7* of the barsoperate in keepers 8 secured to the end bars 1 of gate 1 so as to beeffectually held thereby against distortion.

The body portions of bars 7 are disposed at right angles to the endportions 7, and are secured in overlapping relation to the upper arm 9of an angular supporting member 9 which is secured to the outer face ofgate 1 longitudinally thereof. Upper arm 9 and lower arm 9 of supportingmember 9 are connected by bracing ribs 10 in which are rockably mountedarms 11 of a substantially U-shaped handle 12 which depends fromsupporting member 9, this handle and the arms thereof being prefer ablyformed by bending from a suitable length of steel rod. The outer endportions of each arm 11 extend through a bearing strap 13 secured to thegate, and a cam finger 14 is secured upon the outer end of each arm andprojects substantially radially therefrom. These fingers are so disposedas to en age the lower edges of end portions 7 of locking bars 7 whenhandle 12 is raised thus serving to raise the locking bars out ofengagement with the latch members so'as to release and permit loweringof the gate. When the gate is thrown into closed position, the handle 12moves into vertical position so as to permit free downward movement ofend portions 7* of bars 7, these end portions being raised by theinclined outer ends 5 of latch and springing into the notches 6 thussecuring the gate.

As will be understood, suitable chains or similar members may beconnected to the ends of the gate and to the posts 1 for limitindownward movement of the gate beyond the horizontal position. Also,there may be slight changes made in the construction and arrangement ofthe details of my invention without departing from the field and scopeof the same, and I intend to include all such variations, as fall withinthe appended claims, in this application, in which a preferred form onlyof my invention is disclosed.

-What I claim is 1. In combination with a truck body and a gate hingedthereto at its lower edge, posts adjacent to the ends of the gate, latchmem bers secured to said posts and having their outer ends inclinedupwardly and inwardly toward the posts, resilient members carried by thegate and positioned to engage into said latch members when the gate isclosed, and means for simultaneously moving the resilient members out ofengagement with the latch members and opening the gate.

2. In combination with a truck body and a gate hinged thereto at itslower edge, a

supporting member secured to said gate and disposed longitudinally ofthe same, a handle depending from said supporting member and providedwith laterally extending arms rockably mounted in the supporting member,resilient locking bars secured to the supporting member above the armsof the handle and projecting beyond the ends of the gate, latch memberssecured to the body and receiving the end portions of the lock ing bars,and means carried by the arms of the handle for raising the barssimultaneously out of engagement with the latch members when said handleis raised.

3. In combination with atruck body and a gate hinged thereto at itslower edge, a supporting member secured on said gate and disposedlongitudinally of the same, a handle depending from said supportingmember and having laterally extending arms rockably mounted in thesupporting member, resilient locking bars secured to the supportingmember above said arms and projecting beyond the ends of the gate, latchmembers secured to the body to receive the end portions of the bars andhaving their outer ends inclined upwardly and inwardly, and cam fingerssecured on the outer ends of the arms and adapted to simultaneouslyraise the locking bars out of engagement with said latch members whensaid handle is raised.

4. In combination with a truck body and a gate hinged thereto at itslower edge, a supporting member of substantially L-shape in crosssection secured to the gate and disposed longitudinally thereof, theupper arm of said member being, in a horizontal plane, resilient lockingbars secured on said upper arm and projecting beyond the ends of thegate, latch members secured to the body and positioned to receive theends of the locking bars, a handle depending from and rockably mountedin the supporting member, and means for raising the locking bars out ofengagement with the latch members by raising of the handle.

5. In combination with a truck body and a gate hinged thereto at itslower edge, a

supporting member secured to the gate and disposed longitudinallythereof, flat resilient locking bars secured to the supporting member inoverlapping relation and projecting beyond the ends of the gate, theouter end portions of said bars being twisted at right angles to formvertically disposed locking elements, latch members secured to the bodyand positioned to receive said locking ele ments, a handle dependingfrom and rockably mounted in the supporting member, and means forsimultaneously raising both of the locking elements out of engagementwith said latch members by raising the handle.

6. In combination with a truck body and a gate hinged thereto at itslower edge, a supporting member of L-shape in cross section secured tosaid gate and disposed longitudinally thereof, said member including webelements connecting its arms, resilient locking bars secured to thesupporting member and projecting beyond the, ends of the gate, latchmembers secured to the body and positioned to receive the ends of thelocking bars, a handle depending from the supporting member and havinglaterally extending arms rockably mounted through said web elements, andcam members carried by the arms of the handle and disposed tosimultaneously raise the locking bars out of engagement with the latchmembers when the handle is raised.

7. In an attachment for truck gates, a supporting member, resilientlocking bars secured to said member and disposed longitudinally thereof,arms rockably mounted in the supportingmember below and parallel withsaid bars, a handle secured to and depending from said arms, and cammembers carried by the arms and disposed to simultaneously raise thebars when the handle israised.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WVILLIAM G. MAYER.

